The invention relates to a method for covering a target area with ammunition using a container filled with a plurality of active units which have an essentially circular cross section and which are dispatched by release means along a controlled path of flight of the container in given quantities on individual paths of flight at at least one given point in time, and in a given direction with respect to the longitudinal axis of the container. The invention also relates to an apparatus for implementing the method.
A method of the above-mentioned type is known wherein active bodies equipped with impact detonators are ejected from a container which is fixed to a carrier. Each active body has its own individual path of flight and must directly hit an individual target, specifically an armored target, disposed in the target area to produce the desired effect. In this known method an area covering effect, in the broadest sense, cannot be realized with a single overflight of the carrier. There exists the additional danger, when the active bodies are ejected at low altitude, that an active body may hit its individual target at a very small angle and thus considerably impair the effectiveness of the hollow charge incorporated in the active body.